Critical thinking: A vital problem-solving partner of our time

Critical thinking skills is a reliable and purposeful self-governing thinking that yields satisfactory results. It had been considered a must-have learning competence of our modern age and an extremely-important skill for employment and workplace success.

Being competent in this deepened performance indicator and high-order 21st Century skill, reduces a problem situation to a mere question. Availability of advanced technologies displays it in the ‘market place’ more than many other interpersonal skills.

It is to me the best skill of our age that strengthens cognitive ability.

An object of reflective thinking

It is about subjecting our thoughts to reflective thinking and judging their essence and implications in order to identify and eliminate possible flaws for a greater benefit.

Thoughts and knowledge can assume a whole lot from our internalized system – ideas, skills and abilities, perceptions, assumptions, values, beliefs, perceptions, assumptions, convictions, actions and reactions.

Many information seekers enter a keyword or group of words in an internet search engine like Google, Bing, Baidu, et cetera to access information needed to complete a task. Critical thinking works in a similar way.  It is like a search engine that searches domain knowledge stored in the hippocampus part of the human brain to find possible solutions to a problem at hand.

In driving cognitive processes and strategies towards problem-solving, critical thoughts abruptly fill the mind in search of viable solution and continues relentlessly until it finds one.

How critical thinking works

The processes through which it carries out the functions are

1. Rational and logical assessment

It subjects thoughts, ideas or knowledge to reasonable and sensible analysis, assessment and reconstructing to generate a crucial forward thinking and innovative solutions.

2. Thought arrangement

It orderly arranges the ideas obtained from existing thinking and knowledge in the mind.

3. Mindful communication

It then collaboratively inspires the arranged thinking, communicates and directs it to tackle a challenge, disturbance, difficulty or worry in a system. Though these activities are internal process, the effect of the skill is evident in the ability to solve the problem.

Mindful communication is characterized by effective communication, directed attention and focus to what matters.

How valuable is critical thinking skills?

Reminding us of the influences of how we think and act, critical thinking reshapes our entire future prospects:

Critical thinking is a natural problem-solving skill because of its ability to weigh alternatives in a logical manner and pinpoint the best possible solutions from both existing and acquired knowledge. It’s a partner to problem-solving; the two arranged one behind the other with critical thinking taking the lead.

Critical thinking is proficient in conceptualization, organization, and knowledge synthesis. It has the ability crawling around the thoughts and knowledge domains to generate ideas.

Critical thinking increases the knowledge body, clarifies ideas, and recognizes possibilities through accessing information from different and multiple perspectives.